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Germany
Relevant information about Germany.
There are many attractions that make of Germany an interesting place for tourism. Home of cities full of history, in Germany visitors will find the best of the European cuisine and a view of an amazing architecture.
Germany has a population of 81. 757. 600 people, becoming the most crowded country in the European Union. In spite of this, Germany is expected to follow a worrying trend: the population will reduce to between 65 and 70 million by year 2060. According to statistics from 2004, about seven million foreign citizens were registered in Germany, and 19% of the country's residents were of foreign descent. The largest metropolis in Germany is the capital city of Berlin, with a population of 3.4 million. In 2008 it was recorded that the largest national group of people with a migrant history was from Turkey- 2.5 million-, followed by Italy- 776,000- and Poland- 687,000. And the amount of inmigrants in Germany is so high, that the United Nations Population Fund has listed Germany the third country with the highest number of international migrants in the world. In fact, 5% or 10 million of the 191 million migrants, means the 12% of the population of the country. As regards culture, Germany is historically famous for being the home of thinkers and poets. Intelectuals have grown strong roots along the country, setting a background of high culture around the country. Germany's influence on philosophy have become possible thanks to Gottfried Leibniz's contributions to rationalism; the establishment of classical German idealism by Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling; Arthur Schopenhauer's composition of metaphysical pessimism; Karl Marx's and Friedrich Engels' formulation of communist theory; Friedrich Nietzsche's development of perspectivism; Gottlob Frege's contributions to analytic philosophy; Martin Heidegger's works on Being; and the social theories of Jürgen Habermas. Historical figures such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka and Paul Celan, were a key part of the local cultures, despite not being German citizens. And when it comes to showing off local figures which have had impact in the world, there are renowned classical music composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. In Germany there are 240 subsidised theatres, symphonic orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25,000 libraries spread over the country. These cultural treasures are enjoyed by millions of people: there are over 91 million German museum visits every year; 20 million go to theatres and operas; while 3.6 million listen to the great symphonic orchestras. And in the contemporary music field, Germany is the fifth largest music market in the world, and it has influenced pop and rock music through artists such as Scorpions, Kraftwerk and Rammstein. In the painting scene, German personalities have gained international prestige through their work in different artistic styles. Some of the painters involved are Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grünewald, and Albrecht Dürer, great artists of the Renaissance; Caspar David Friedrich of Romanticism; and Max Ernst of Surrealism. Of course that the German touch in architecture has also made impressive contributions, including the Carolingian and Ottonian styles. Germany also turned into a spot of increasing work in Gothic; Renaissance and Baroque style. Literature also took a significant place in German culture. Some of the German authors and poets that have won great renown are Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, Thomas Mann, Berthold Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Böll, and Günter Grass. For those who are thinking of enjoying the spectacular local cuisine, they just have to wish to have a good piece of the delicious bakery and a refreshing beer. The regions of Bavaria and Swabia are influences by the culinary culture of Switzerland and Austria. There it is usual to have pork, beef, and poultry as the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany. Throughout all regions in the country, meat is often eaten in a sausage form. Actually, over 1500 different types of sausage are produced there. As known worldwide, beer is the national alcoholic beverage; and as expected its consumption in the country is among the highest in the world.
The country has the largest economy in Europe. Between years 2003 and 2008, Germany was the world's largest exporter. Then it was surpassed by China in 2009, and currently it is the second largest exporter. Most of the country's products are in engineering, especially in automobiles, machinery, metals, and chemical goods. In fact, Germany is the leading producer of wind turbines and solar power technology in the world. The country is also home of the most important annual international trade fairs and congresses, held in several German cities such as Hanover, Frankfurt, and Berlin. The city of Frankfurt is a financial global city, where the European Central Bank is set. Actually, 37 firms of the world's 500 largest stock market listed companies measured by revenue, are headquartered in Germany. According to the last figures provided in 2007, the largest were Daimler, Volkswagen, Allianz, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, Deutsche Post, Deutsche Telekom, Metro, and BASF. Besides the companies, there also very well known global brands such as Mercedes Benz, SAP, BMW, Adidas, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Nivea.
Germany has many large cities, such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Some of these places involve the most beautiful landscapes, villages, and castles to inmerse in the local history. The city of Munich is a very charmed and sophisticated place. When being around this city, you will easily notice that local people really like to have a good time. So you will have the chance to take part of special events with great food and lots of nightlife. What’smore, the year 2010, will count with a very special event: the Oktoberfest in Munich, which celebrates its 200th birthday. Besides, Munich offers other interesting activities to participate such as visits to galleries, museums, opera. And just to go sightseeing in Munich will leave you mouth open. The combination in the area of amazing parks, along with some of the best castles in Germany. Tourists can visit the Neuschwanstein Castle or take part of an exploration of the Romantic Road. If you are some of those who love mountainside castles, just like the ones of the scenery of a fairy tale, you just need to visit Bavaria. Here, the site of Augsburg offers fine churches, good food, and a beautiful location. It was founded in the 15 B.C., as an outpost of the Roman Empire and named in honor of the emperor Augustus. For sure there is a privilege place for those lovers of the medieval. And the right city to visit in that case would be Rothenburg. In this place, it can be found dramatic architecture, good food, and great trinket shopping. It is also very well known for its "Christmas Market", which is available any time of the year. And last, but not least is the capital city of Berlin, one of the most attractive places in Germany. It is home of amazing museums, new architecture and impressive palaces. Those who are fond of history and art shouldn’t miss the Museum Island. It is actually a complex of five museums, added to the German World Heritage list in 1999. Some of the great historic sights in Berlin are The Jewish Museum and Checkpoint Charlie in Kreuzberg. And if you would love to visit Frankfurt, but you are not very into business, you shouldn’t worry!. It is a great place for tourism interested in the arts. There are plenty of interesting places to visit in Frankfurt. Poetry lovers can visit the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Imperial Cathedral, known as the Kaiserdom, is an excellent historical landmark, as well. Nature also has its place in Germany, and especially in Frankfurt. The Palmengarten counts with 50 acres of gardens bloom with flowers and other unusual plants throughout the year. During the summer, concerts and festivals are held in that spot, and during the winter, flowers are grown inside greenhouses.
In the European continent, German is considered one of the best health care systems. German hospitals assist every year to patients from Eastern European countries, such as Russia, Romania and Bulgaria, who have the resources to pay for high quality medical services, without minding to pay high amounts of money. One of the advantages of the medical tourism in Germany, is that the the waiting times are quite reduced, in comparison with the ones in the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. The country has an average of 368 physicians per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the World Health Organization, which is higher than the averages for both the United States and Canada. One of the main reasons for physicians being of such a good prestige is that they undergo strict and rigorous trainings before they can practice in their specialization. After completing their university studies, doctors are required to undergo specialization training for five to seven years depending on the area of expertise; and only after that they will need to pass another examination in order to start practicing. The top hospitals for medical tourism in Germany are: University Medical Center of Freiburg; the DRK Kliniken of Berlin; and the Klinikum Chemnitz. Among the most common treatments done during medical tourism are: neurosurgery; cardiology; orthopedics; oncology; fertility treatment; ophthalmology; neurology; rehabilitation; sports medicine; nephrology. Between the advantages that should be taken into account when it comes to deciding on medical tourism, in Germany, there are: the hospitals follow the highest international standards, and are up-to-date with the latest medical equipment and technologies worldwide; professionals undergo a strict and rigorous training process before they can work; treatments that are not available in the less developed countries can be get in Germany; medical procedures in Germany cost less than similar procedures in the United States and Great Britain
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